Shortage of Water

Perhaps the purpose of the current cosmetic water conservation program is to educate Los Angeles residents about what many native Californians are already aware of: that water is a precious and scarce commodity. Perhaps that explains why the effort seems directed to the individual resident rather than to real water wasters.

We are required to ask for a glass of water in a restaurant, while behind the bar a few feet away there is an open tap over the rinse sink from the time the restaurant opens. And other open valves are found in the kitchen.

We are required to deprive our pansies of water while water drips from leaky fire hydrants all over the city. We could fill every glass in every restaurant with the water that has leaked from the fire hydrant in the 1000 block of North Evergreen Avenue this year.

We are asked to refrain from flushing toilets with every use, while tens of thousands of gallons of wasted water constantly course through the storm drain at the corner of Wabash and Evergreen avenues, when it has not rained for weeks or months.

We are requested to reduce our water use by 10% while farmers throughout the state use cheap water as if they were in the Northwest.

Many of us already conserve water by such means as taking “navy showers.” We have installed valves on the shower head so that we can turn the water off while we soap up, and on again only to rinse. Nevertheless, we must now meet the same standard of a 10% reduction as those who have been wasting water.

After Los Angeles residents are educated our officials may decide to embark upon some genuine and productive conservation efforts.

DAVID P. MACPHERSON

Los Angeles